According to El País, officials from Spain’s defense ministry emphasized the importance of remaining aligned with the European FCAS initiative, developed in partnership with France and Germany. The program aims to deliver a sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2040 and is viewed as a pillar of EU strategic autonomy in the defense sector.

The move to pause consideration of the U.S. F-35s comes amid rising scrutiny over NATO burden-sharing and differing priorities among member states. Spain, like many European nations, has been under pressure to increase its defense spending, but officials have signaled a preference to channel resources into long-term joint European projects rather than off-the-shelf U.S. systems.

Cost Concerns And Timeline Uncertainty

The F-35 program is among the most expensive weapons platforms globally, and purchasing the aircraft would have significantly impacted Spain’s defense budget. A single F-35A costs approximately $80 million, while the F-35B, suited for aircraft carrier operations, is even more costly.

While no future F-35 acquisition has been ruled out entirely, the defense ministry stressed that Spain’s current planning horizon is focused on supporting FCAS and modernizing its existing Eurofighter fleet. Spanish military sources told Reuters that there is no formal tender underway and that the shelving of the F-35 plan had been communicated to U.S. officials earlier this year.